Soundcast Outcast Outdoor Speaker

One disadvantage of having a gadget and gear addiction is that eventually you find little impresses you. So it goes without saying that I had my doubts when the decision was made to test the unit during our last Gear Patrol outdoor soiree.

Lifting the speaker out of its packaging was my first hint that the Outcast was of a different vain than previous wireless speaker solutions I’d encountered. My lower back can attest.

The unit’s build is solid, sporting a downward facing 8-inch subwoofer, and 4 3-inch high/mid range omni-directional drivers; all of which served as a fine teaser for hooking up the wireless transmitter (Icast) and blasting *cough* playing some music.

Unfortunately, I never tested the Icast’s purpoted broadcast range of 350 feet as that would have put us smack in the middle of a Midtown Manhattan theater. Though at 100 feet we didn’t experience any sound quality degradation from the wireless transmission. Power wasn’t an issue either, which we learned from a not so happy neighbor in the adjacent building the following morning. Apparently the speaker produced loud and clear music for all six hours of the party. Don’t bother asking why we couldn’t remember that fact on our own.

Review continues after the jump.

Despite any haziness on my (our) part though, one fact was clear. The Outcast was the best outdoor wireless speaker solution we’ve ever encountered and delivered superbly on its promise of great sounding wireless tunes with minimal amount of set up hassle. As far as I’m concerned, added features such as: built in ambient mood lighting, 10 hour battery life, convenient carrying handle, and remote control of the iPod from the speaker base unit, were just icing on the cake.

However like many quality products in this life, to procure a Soundcast Outcast, you’ll have to pay a hefty ransom… $700 bucks, which many may feel is unreasonable. Let me assure you it is not.

All we can say is if you have the need for portable outdoor sound (Fall parties are in full effect after all) and don’t mind splurging this month’s gear budget, the Outcast will be money well spent. Of course no amount of words from us will ever convince you quite like the gaggle of beautiful girls you’re guaranteed to see singing their hearts out at your next pool party. Remember, good music makes your guests feel comfortable. Just be sure to warn the neighbors.